Locking device



Oct. l5, 1935'. F. D. sANBoRN, JR V2,017,474

LOCKING DEVICE Filed oct. 5o; 1951 Patented Oct. 15, 1935 UNITED ENT oFFIcE LOCKING DEVICE ration of Ohio Application October 30, 1931, Serial No. 572,091

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to switching mechanism useful with recording apparatus of the type disclosed in MaX L. Jeireys Patent No. 1,835,220, issued December 8, 1931 and more particularly to a locking device possessing certain novel electrical features which specifically are adaptable for use in connection with such recording devices but which generally may be adapted for use with other forms of electrical equipment.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a locking device for locking a rotatable barrel against rotational movement, the barrel being associated with a circuit making and breaking mechanism of the type disclosed in Max L.

l5 J eifreys copending application, Serial No. 571,144

iiled Oct. 26, 1931 for a Circuit making and breaking mechanism. Toward this end the invention contemplates the provision of a suitable key co-ntrolled operating mechanism having associated therewith a key which must be inserted in a keyway provided for the same before the circuit making and breaking mechanism may be operated. Means is also provided for preventing removal of the key from the keyway before the operating mechanism is returned to its inoperative position and conversely, means is provided whereby when this operating mechanism is returned to its inoperative position the key may be removed to lock the mechanism in its inoperative position.

00 The invention further contemplates the provision of a pawl mechanism for preventing rotation of the barrel, which is a part of the circuit making and breaking apparatus, in one direction while permitting rotation of this barrel in the other direction.

Other objects and advantages of the invention are the provision of a recording apparatus which may be economically manufactured and which is compact in its nature and consists in relatively few moving parts thereby resulting in a device which is unlikely to get out of order. Still fur-V ther objects of the invention will become more readily apparent as the nature of thesame is better understood.

In the accompanying one sheet of drawings forming a part of :this specification,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a circuit making and breaking device employing the improved locking mechanism comprising the present invention.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional View taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Figure 2. Y

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 4--4 of Figure 2.

In all of the above described views like characters of reference are employed to designate like parts throughout.

Referring now to the drawing the device in- 5 volves in its general organization a casing I0 which is carried by the hinge door (not shown) of a recording apparatus of the type disclosed in the above mentioned copending application. The casing is provided with front wall I2 to which is 10 secured a face plate I4 and a rear wall I5.

Secured in any suitable manner to the front wall I2 is a central supporting member I6 having secured to oppositeV sides thereof insulating pieces I8 and 20 which serve to carry a plurality of up- 15 standing contact members arranged in pairs. While any suitable number of contact members may be provided, six pairs of contact members have been disclosed in this application, three of such members being mounted on one side of the 20 center piece I6 and the other three being mounted on the other side of this center piece. The pairs of contact members just referred to are designated at 40, 42 and 44 and the other three pairs of contact members are similar thereto in all 25 respects.

The contact members 40 and 42 and 44 are adapted to bear against the surface of a rotatable barrel 52 keyed to a shaft 54 journalled in the face plate I4 and in the rear wall I 5. This barrel 30 is in the form of a cylindrical member having formed thereon a plurality of cam members, two of which are shown at 56 and 62. The cam members are adapted to engage the pairs of contacts above described to close the same. Y 35 The present invention embodies means for preventing rotation of the barrel 52 in a direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow, Fig. 4. This means is best disclosed in Figure V3. VThe 40 barrel is provided with an enlarged portion 64 having a plurality of recesses 66 uniformly spaced v around the same. The rear part of the casing of the machine has extending therethrough a bore Bg which bore is adapted to selectively and successively communicate with each of the recesses 55 as the barrel is rotated. Disposed withinthe bore 68 is a ball'li which is normally urged in the direction of the barrel 52 by means of a compression spring 10. bearing against a plug 'I2 threadedly received in an enlarged portion 14 of 50 the bore 68. The axis of the bore 68 is inclined with .respectto the vertical axis of the barrel 52. From this arrangement of parts it will be seen that 'the barrel 52 may be rotated in the direction 55 of the arrow shown in Figure 3 inasmuch as the ball 'l will slide out of the recesses 55 and into the next adjacent recess. Turning movement of the barrel 52 in the opposite direction however, is prevented in view of the fact that the inclination of the axis of the bore S8 is such that the walls of this bore are substantially parallel with one side of each recess $5 when the ball l' occupies a position within the same. Any attempt to force the 1barrel 52 in the wrong direction will simply serve to bind the ball lil against the wall of the bore 58.

In order to prevent rotation of the barrel 52 by an unauthorized person a key locking mechanism shown best in Figure 1 is employed. Accordingly the rear wall |5 of the casing I@ is provided with a keyway 8f3 adapted to receive a key 88 therein. The keyway 80 is open ended and is adapted to slidably receive the key 88 through the top thereof.. Suitably secured in the casing |5 is a locking cam element 90 having a cam arm'QZ-adapted to be engaged by the lower end of the key 88. A

" locking pawl ell is formed on the cam member 90 and this pawl is provided with a rounded end 96 adapted to be selectively received in the recesses E6 of the barrel 52. The casing is provided with a vertical bore 98 having a slidable plunger |06 mounted therein. This plunger is normally held in engagement with the underneath side of the cam arm 92 by means of a compression spring |62 which bears against a threaded plug lil@ received within the bore 98. It will be seen therefore that the plunger normally urges the cam arm S2 upwardly and that this cam arm by means of a bell crank lever action normally forces the locking pawl 94 into one of the recesses G6 in the barrel 52. When the key 88 is inserted in the keyway it engages the upper end of the' arm 92 and depresses the same thereby throwing the locking pawl $4 out of engagement with the particular recess 56 with which it was engaged.

The rear end of the barrel 52 is provided with a cam surface |96. Slidably mounted within a bore Hi8 in the casing l5 is a locking plunger l normally held by means of a compression spring 2 which bears on the casing l5 against the cam surface |05. The key 88 is provided with a small aperture H4 therethrough which aperture is aligned with the plunger H0 when the key 88 is in its depressed position. As the barrel 52 is rotated the cam surface |06 forces one end of the plunger HJ into the aperture I4 to lock the key 88 in the machine against removal until the barrel 52 has been rotated to its off position. Upon rotation of the barrel 52 to the off position of the machine the plunger Il!) drops back against the cam surface |95 thus withdrawing the plunger from the aperture I4 and permitting removal of the key.

The various pairs of contacts shown in the drawings have been assigned to a specic use in my copending application above referred to and in this application no disclosure is made as to the use of these contact elements. Wherever a circuit is to be opened or closed for operating electrical instrumentalities these contacts are available.

Furthermore no claim is made in this application as to the novelty existing in the arrangement of contacts or operating instrumentalities therefor, the invention residing rather in the novel locking mechanism described above.

The invention is not to be limited to the exact arrangement of parts as shown in the accompanying one sheet of drawings or described in this specification as various changes in the details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described a rotatable barrel having a plurality of recesses formed therein, a body portion having a bore extending therethrough, means in selective communication with said recesses, a locking element in said bore, means normally urging said locking element against said barrel in a selective recess, the walls of said bore being substantially parallel to a wall of. each recess when said recess is in communication with said bore whereby rotation of said barrel in one direction is prevented.

2. A switch assembly comprising a rotatable switch member, means permitting rotation of the switch member in one direction only, key-operated locking means for locking said member against rotation in said direction, a keyway, said locking means being unlocked by insertion of a key in said keyway, and means actuated by rotation of said member for securing the key in its unlocking position.

3. A switch assembly comprising Aa rotatable switch barrel, means permitting rotation of the barrel in one direction only, key-operated locking means for locking said barrel against rotation in said direction, a keyway, means actuated by insertion of a key in said keyway for moving said locking means to barrel-releasing position, means for securing the key in its inserted position, and means actuatable by rotation of the barrel for releasing the key.

4. A switch assembly comprising a rotatable switch barrel, means permitting rotation of the barrel in one direction only, key-operated locking means for looking said barrel against rotation in said direction, a keyway, means actuated by insertion of a key for moving said locking means to barrel-releasing position, means for securing the key in its inserted position, means actuatable by rotation of the barrel for releasing the key, said barrel-locking means being self-locking upon removal of the key.

FREDERICK D. SANBORN, JR. 

